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Soviets Made Changes
To End NHL's Ice Reign
The Big Red Machine had just posted a 9-0 shutout of the National Hockey League All Stars over the final 94 minutes and 54 seconds of play, capturing the NHL challenge Cup, two games to one. Coach Viktor Tikhonov, the architect of the Soviet renaissance in World play and the man who is gradually changing the concept of Soviet tournament hockey, noted, "This team is good now, but it will be better next year and even better in five years. The testing of (Vladimir) Myshkin in goal at such a high level, is a great step forward. We have been searching for a second goalie behind (Vladislav) Tretiak for a long time." After a first game loss, by a 4-2 count, the Soviets rallied from a 4-2 second period deficit in game two to dominate and frustrate any attempts the NHL had at mounting an offense. The key Soviet line might have been the Wings' trio of Vladimir Kovin, Mikhail Varnakov and Alexander Skvortsov who were touted here in the Jan. 19 issue of THE HOCKEY NEWS as possibles for the Soviet team. Myshkin and defenseman Sergei Starikov were also listed at the time. "The Wings line changed the series in the third period of the first game when they demonstrated they could shut us down in our own end. Their defensemen pinched us off by playing up high on the boards. This was the technique they used with so much success in game two - and to a somewhat lesser degree in the final game, " said Scotty Bowman, the NHL coach. Myshkin also was moved up from Wings - as was Starikov, who partnered with the veteran Valeri Vasiliev after another veteran, Gennady Tsygankov, had given away the NHL's opening goal in the first 16 seconds of the initial game. Starikov dressed for game two, tightening the Soviet defense. The Russians number two line of Viktor Zhluktov, Sergei Kapustin and Helmut Balderis showed why they are rated so highly, with Kapustin getting two key goals in the second game. Zhluktov, the center, said, "winning the World Cup is more important than this victory, although this is an important trophy. I think the calibre o play in the World Cup is better than here against the NHL." The Soviets top line of Vladimir Petrov, Boris Mikhailov and Valeri Kharlamov was disrupted after the first game when Kharlamov sat out the rest of the series. But, the canny, 34 year old, 5'9" 170 pound Mikhailov, scored three goals, including the first goal of the final game, to win the MVP award. Boris switched from his usual left wing to right wing for the final two games, as sub wingers, Victor Tuminev (game two) and Aleksandr Golikov (game three) filled in. The Soviet captain said, "We are proud of the victory, very proud. We have proven our skill." In the first period of game three, NHL goalie Gerry Cheevers slashed Mikhailov when he ventured near Cheesy's net. Boris complained, as was his right as team captain, loud and long to referee Andy Van Hellemond, but to no avail. he solved the problem with his flip shot from the right face off circle at 5:47 of the second period, giving the Soviets a lead they never relinquished. When it is considered that the Soviets' best offensive defenseman, and the defensive MVP at Prague in the World Championships last spring, Viacheslav Fetisov, was left home nursing a bad back, the Soviets must be regarded as awesome. The development of Myshkin as a challenger for Tretiak is another big plus. Tretiak played the first two games, but Tikhonov had planned to play Myshkin in either game two or three. When the Soviets lost the first game, he stuck with Tretiak, but after the momentum shifted his way, he took the final gamble with the blonde, five-foot-seven, 157 pound, 23 year old rookie. "I was eager to show that I could stop the NHL," said the goalie. "When Tikhonov told me I was going to play at the morning practice (before the final game) I was very excited. But, I think the NHL didn't shoot as much as I expected and they were not too accurate. I just tried to stop the puck when it came near the goal - and I didn't realize the crowd was yelling for me." Myshkin twice dumped rebounds in front, where they lay for seemingly endless seconds before being smothered by his defense, but otherwise gave no hint of being unable to withstand heavy pressure as he had, when the Philadelphia Flyers and Bobby Clarke, got two quick goals in the final two and a half minutes to eke out a 4-4 tie with the Wings in January. the shutout was his first game in international play for the Soviet National team. Viacheslav Koloskov, the director of the Hockey Department of the Soviet Sports Committee, observed, "Before this series we said these games were important. They were for the number one championship in the world. We hope everyone keeps this view of the victory. It was a clear idea of the prestige of the Challenge Cup. The best two teams in the world confront each other - and the confrontation indicates that. But it doesn't indicate hockey in Canada is poorer than in the USSR." "If we were to field three teams from each country the team from the USSR could not be the same, continued Koloskov. Koloskov may be wrong - the feeling here is that the Soviets under Tikhonov are building depth in their system. The Nationals no longer are in the complete province of the Central Red Army. Contributions were made by the Soviet Wings line, the Golikov brothers, Aleksandr and Vladimir from Moscow Dynamo, and in the final game by Irek Gimaev, who played center on the 4th line with Sergei Makarov and Victor Tuminev. Tikhonov shrewdly told his players before the final game "We have nothing to lose. The World Cup is the real championship. The NHL will be in confusion if they lose. It is up to you." The Soviet coach was right. The NHL, its' prestige and its' style of play disgraced, is in total confusion.
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